Stuart man explores good, evil in new documentary

PHOTOS BY ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Frank Panico, director of the documentary, "Lambs Among Wolves," takes a phone call shortly before meeting with editor Aaron Speros at the Jensen Beach causeway, where Panico gathered some footage for his film. The film explores spiritual warfare and the existence of God and Satan.

Treasure Coast Newspapers

ALEX BOERNER/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Panico watches the beginning of the opening chapter of his documentary, "Lambs Among Wolves," on his computer while discussing final changes to the film with editor Aaron Speros in Jensen Beach. Panico spent more than two years working on the documentary, conducting interviews and asking people if they believed in God and Satan.

For two years, Frank Panico traveled the Treasure Coast — camcorder in hand — asking locals two questions: Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Satan?

Panico recorded the conversations and turned them into an 80-minute documentary film he plans to distribute to several film festivals, with hopes of having a major production company pick it up.

One of the things that led Panico, a server at Ian's Tropical Grill in Stuart, to make the faith-based documentary was a 2009 poll by the research company Gallup, which showed 78 percent of surveyed people identify with the Christian religion. In 1948, when Gallup began tracking religious identification, the percentage who were Christian was 91 percent.

"If your house sank 13 percent into the ground, would you do something, or just keep climbing out your front door every morning?" Panico, a member of Jensen Beach's St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, says in his film.

He chose to do something.

In March 2010, Panico emailed the Vatican asking for an interview with Pope Benedict XVI for his upcoming documentary that would spread the word of God and Christianity through film. If the pope was not available for an interview, Panico wrote in his letter, a priest who specializes in exorcisms would do.

"I wanted, at first, for this documentary to be about faith healing, and I felt exorcism was a form of healing that could prove the existence of God and Satan at the same time," Panico said.

A week after Panico wrote the email, priests at St. Martin de Porres got word that the Rev. Jose Antonio Fortea, a well-known exorcism priest from the Vatican, would soon pay a visit to the area, as well as give Mass at the Jensen Beach church.

Panico didn't get the opportunity to have a sit-down interview with Fortea, but heard what he wanted during a question-and-answer session after the service: the priest told the crowd that a close relationship with God is the best defense against evil.

"That really put the fire under me," said Panico, who is working on the final edits of the film, titled "Lambs Among Wolves."

"That was when I changed my subject to 'spiritual warfare,' " he added. "I wanted it to be simple: I wanted to give examples of God's existence, show that Satan exists and is at work, and let people know how we can protect ourselves from him simply by praying and believing."

Panico made his way around the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County, interviewing people on the street as he drove or ran errands. He interviewed homeless people, as well as people at work, asking about what they believe are God's and Satan's work on Earth. Panico also interviewed local clergy, including the Rev. Thomas Rynne of St. Martin de Porres and Pastor Jerry Herald of the Bridge Christian Outreach.

"You've got to have guts to ask strange people a question a lot of people are not comfortable asking," Herald said. "It's a conversation about God. If I stand on a street corner, waving my Bible around, hitting people with it, how many people are going to pay attention? Yet, if I start a dialogue with someone, an exchange of ideas, then we talk and learn about each other's opinions. That's what this is."

"It's controversial," Herald added. "But what's wrong with controversy? Mostly, I'm just amazed Frank could get away with asking the questions he asked."